CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office is strictly monitoring the prices of agricultural products in the province and the whole Central Luzon as the region started to experience the onslaught of the El Niño phenomenon.

DA regional director Redentor Gatus said that based on their monitoring report, the prices of rice, agricultural products and other basic commodities remain stable in the region.

Gatus said that there is no abnormal price situation of agricultural and other prime commodities in the region with “the change in prices is due only to the seasonability of the harvest.”

He said that farmers, particularly in Pampanga, are still not adversely affected by the dry spell.

Many farmers in Pampanga are still harvesting their palay while others have also started planting for the third cropping, he said.

He also said that there is a sufficient supply of government rice in the province through the various Tindahan Natin and Bigasan ng Bayan outlets.

To augment the rice buffer stock of the province, he said there are some 45,000 cavans of imported rice that are expected to arrive anytime.

Except for sugar, he said no price increases yet were also seen on bread, cooking oil, flour, including construction materials like cement, which are directly dependent on some agricultural products during pre-production.

Nevertheless, Gatus asked the public to report unscrupulous traders who will take advantage of the dry spell situation.

He said consumers may report to the Department of Trade and Industry or to the DA any merchant that may raise prices of agricultural products.